The Municipal District (MD) of Peace saw a large increase in population over the last five years.
Numbers for Statistics Canada showed that the MD saw an increase of 304 people, or 20.8 percent, to a total of 1,747 people.
Reeve Bob Willing says that there are a couple of reasons as to why that may be the case.
“There has been quite a bit of development within the area,” said Willing. “We know that some of the subdivisions have increased over the last few years, so that could partly accommodate it.
Reeve Bob Willing. (Photo/MD of Peace)
Willing also says that there was also a dispute between the MD and StatsCan regarding the 2011 census.
“We always felt that the previous numbers were a little on the low side,” he said.
All in all, he says that the increase is a good thing, as much of the provincial funding the MD gets is based on population.
“We get a per capita grant funding and stuff from the provincial government,” said Willing. “But it also means that we have to pay a little bit more because some of the programs that we participate in have a per capita basis as well.”
Willing hopes that the numbers show it’s a trend that the area’s recovering from recent economic woes.
“There are always developments that are in the works,” he said. “With the economy improving, we’re hoping for an upward adjustment for the next few years, but only time will tell.”
More population numbers for the Peace and Mackenzie areas can be found by clicking here.
– Posted by BET
